Dr. Vedlitz supervised a group of seven MPSA students in a 2011-2012 capstone project for the Houston-Galveston Area Council of Governments (H-GAC). Students in the team-based and project orientated capstone projects apply what they have been learning in their Bush School graduate programs to analyze a policy issue and prepare a report for a client, such as a government agency, nonprofit organization or private company. Dr. Vedlitz stresses that his role is one of guidance, feedback, and encouragement. The students perform the work, prepare the report, and communicate with the client.
Dr. Vedlitz’s capstone team assessed the housing needs in vulnerable areas of Houston-Galveston and assessed policy options for addressing those needs. The students reviewed the academic literature and cases studies, analyzed the data, and interviewed stakeholder to delve into how poverty, crime, racial segregation, educational gaps, and other factors affected the area’s housing market. They did such a phenomenal job that H-GAC included the team’s report as source material for companies submitting proposals to prepare a fair housing plan for the Houston-Galveston area.
